German & Austrian Hutmachers

[mayserwegener]

Mayser Magazine Ads

Some late 1950s Mayser magazine ads.

 

[The Elizans]

Dunn & Co Austrian Velour

G.A Dunn & Co, British hat maker: hat body is "Austrian Velour” made in Czecho-Slovakia the spelling of which dates it to 1938-39. Lining has typical Piccadilly London address of Dunn & Co so I expect the body was imported into the UK and finished in a typically English style. A superb quality hat with no mothing whatsoever. Could the body have been supplied by Tonak?

 

[mayserwegener]

Rare find! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap I think it is an old Johann Hückel´s Söhne (JHS). I can tell by the liner. They made the finest velour finishes. May I ask the size? JHS became TONAK after WWII. JHS and Peschel were nationalized as TONAK. More details here.

 

[The Elizans]

Dunn/Austrian Velour

Thanks for the info Mayserwegener!

Size is UK 7 1/8, (US 7 1/4) approx 58.5cm diameter.

Liner wise, the leather sweat is definitely an English addition; this is what most 1930's Dunn & Co's have, and I have quite a few! Liner fabric is synthetic, like rayon. it is possible that this was fitted in Czchoslovakia, however, this also has the Dunn & Co logo, this time, with reference to their Piccadilly London address. I would have expected all the finishing to be done in the UK to meet with the latest fashion and that only the body was imported. Of course, they could have supplied the Czech company with dies and stamping tools to brand the hats, in which case, you could be correct. How were European hat bodies finished and branded in the US? Under licence?

Thanks again,

T.E.

 

[mayserwegener]

Also possible Dunn and Co. could have supplied JHS (or some other company) with the sweats / liners but probably all this info is lost. I do know there was similar business taking place with US hat companies up to 1938. The Sudetenland Austrian - German (they all had operations out of Vienna too) hat companies (factories in Neutitschein / Nový Jičín) were known for the finest velour finishes and JHS made amazing hats of all types (Fedora, Homburg, Bowler) under their own brand name that were sold throughout the world (even popular in France). Same with Peschel and Brüder Böhm.

Here is an example of a similar liner under the Hückel brand. This hat was made just after WWII had started and shows signs of rationing (synthetic liner and sweat? which is not typical of JHS although the green heather felt / blocking is still fantastic).

 

[mayserwegener]

Hückel Plume Melone

Hückel Plume Melone probably 1930s and in great condition. Unique / beautiful liner.

 

[150719541]

Hi Steve ¡¡¡¡¡

Now I am even amazed with some hats and specialy in some showed in this thread, the quality and finished is really excellent, thanks to post all.
:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[mayserwegener]

Thanks! Also props to M_Jones and The Elizans for their recent contributions!

 

[Quixote]

I found a very beat up men's hat at my grandparent's house. I identified its maker to be Hückel. It's missing its hatband, and the inside is in a not-too-pretty condition, but otherwise the hat is quite nice... and unusual. It's made of purple seal velour. I'm not sure about its age, but as far as I know it has been sitting on top of my grandmother's wardrobe since the war. I don't think I would have the nerve to wear it in public, even if throroughly renovated, but it does look good on the curiosity shelf.

 

[mayserwegener]

Can you take some photos (outside, inside, labels)? I could tell you roughly when it was made. Also like to see the purple Seal Velour.

 

[Quixote]

I could try and photograph it the next time I go visit my grandparents. I could also snap photos of some other old hats of theirs to showcase in the appropriate threads.

 

[Hal]

Some late 1950s Mayser magazine ads.

Is "Gut behütet in den Herbst" in the second picture meant to be a pleasant pun (behütet being both "protected" and "hatted")? (i.e. well protected/hatted into the autumn.)
Or am I reading into it a meaning that isn't there?

 

[Fly Boy]

I picked up a velour-finished black Mayser trilby for £2.00 two years ago. Had (in my opinion) rather a horrible looking brown felt 'ribbon', which I replaced this evening with black grosgrain. The hat looks gorgeous now!

 

[mayserwegener]

Is "Gut behütet in den Herbst" in the second picture meant to be a pleasant pun (behütet being both "protected" and "hatted")? (i.e. well protected/hatted into the autumn.)
Or am I reading into it a meaning that isn't there?

This is what a German friend (also hatmaker) of mine had to say about the ad.

"'Behütet' has 2 meanings.
If you wear a hat you are 'behütet'. This is the direct, main meaning in this ad.
To be protected or to care for someone or looking after ... you can use the same word. "

 

[mayserwegener]

I picked up a velour-finished black Mayser trilby for £2.00 two years ago. Had (in my opinion) rather a horrible looking brown felt 'ribbon', which I replaced this evening with black grosgrain. The hat looks gorgeous now!

Please post photos if possible. Would like to see it.

 

[Quixote]

Alright, I wasn't very well-equipped camerawise but I managed to snap a couple of shots of the strange hat.

These two pictures show the colour much browner than it is in real life. It isn't that blotchy either, it's only that the velour's a bit of a mess (not brushed in the same direction) and reflects the light so irregularly.

These two show the bad condition of the sweatband and the lining. The purple colour is much closer to reality in these.

There are text inside which say "Elanto, Helsinki" which was a Finnish firm that either manufactured this under a licence or commissioned these hats from Hückel.

 

[mayserwegener]

Thank you for taking the photos! Very interesting! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap I haven't seen a liner like that one and the sweatband is not typical. Does it have a paper label behind the sweatband? If so that info would be very helpful. The history of Hückel is complicated. If you want to know more check out this link.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/6-johann-huckel%c2%b4s-sohne-huckel-hutfabrik-weilheim/

It some what reminds me of Dreispitz's (Dieter) Hückel Super Sport although not the color and ribbon width.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/6-johann-huckel%c2%b4s-sohne-huckel-hutfabrik-weilheim/page__view__findpost__p__110

I think if you worked it with steam it would really bring out the slick - shiny look of the velour (also might need some pro cleaning). What size is it? Are you going to have a ribbon put on it? If so you may want to look at my restored Hückel Sigma Velour.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/6-johann-huckel%c2%b4s-sohne-huckel-hutfabrik-weilheim/page__view__findpost__p__194

 

[Quixote]

I didn't find any labels. I guess they have been removed for some reason at some point. There is no size info on the hat either, but I'm a size 58 and it's slightly loose on my head. I'd say it's a 59. At the moment I don't have a plan of renovating the hat, but I might try to do so in the future. If and when I decide to do that, I will definitely put a ribbon on it, though I'm not sure about the colour or width.

 

[mayserwegener]

Thank you for the follow-up. Too bad there isn't a paper label. It's an even more rare find because of the larger size. Like to see what it would like after a restore.

 

[WolfeMan]

Brought back from Germany by my sister.